Panic Stricken and Anger Ridden
by pictureperfexi0n
Summary: Mikaela Fenix's first mission goes haywire at the last minute, leaving her and a comrade kidnapped and tormented by Locusts. A story of Marcus Fenix's little sister on her COG assignment. Appearances by Delta Squad. Hope you enjoy! Based after GOW 1.
1. Chapter 1

**So you've chosen to read this.**

**Congratulations!**

**All sarcasm aside, I do hope you enjoy it. It's all finished, but I'll take my time uploading it. Just for the suspense.**

***evil grin***

**Just so everyone knows, I don't have a beta reader, so if some mistakes pop up, feel free to relay them to me and I'll do my best to fix them. Can't always be perfect, right?**

**I appreciate reviews. Who doesn't? Constructive criticism is also very welcome. But most of all, I want to give someone amusement for a few minutes.**

**As you all know, I am not Epic Games and therefore do not own anything Gears related…**

**Except Epsilon Squad. I made those awesome people up. =) Anyway, I'm really proud of myself and this story. It's the second thing I've ever finished. Enjoy!**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG* **(Yes, lame page break.)**

Jacinto Plateau. One month after Lightmass Bomb detonation.

I sat back at the bar and tossed back my second shot of the night, slamming the small glass onto the counter with a sigh.

"Rough day?"

I twisted around to see a dark-haired man leering at me from his booth. He slid out and sauntered over to me, obviously thinking he was some hot shot.

"If only I could explain it," I said plainly. It wouldn't have been too hard to explain. General Hoffman and I got into it again, arguing about everything from my being in Basic to my brother still being out fighting Locusts somewhere. I hadn't seen Marcus in going on five years now.

So I was just a little annoyed.

"I can give you a hand with that, honey," he purred, gently laying a hand on the small of my back.

I had been taught to let your enemy think he has the upper hand, so I keep as still as I could, only tilting my head just enough to see the vermin out of the corner of my eyes. I glared dangerously at him.

"Fuck off."

The man blinked in surprise, caught off guard by my response, but persisted. He leaned even closer, his breath stinking of whiskey, and stroked the back of my auburn hair.

"You don't mean that, darling," he said.

I was on my feet and pointing my Boltok pistol between his eyes in seconds.

"When a girl says 'fuck off', that generally means back the fuck off," I growled out, watching as his eyes played between shock and fear. "Now, I know your head is too far up your ass to really hear me, so I'll say it again. Fuck off or I swear to all that is holy I _will_ shoot you in a heartbeat."

"I believe the little lady is trying to tell you to beat it."

I glanced up only briefly at the man that spoke. He stood behind my new "friend" with his arms crossed and an amused smirk on his face. My brother always showed up at just the right time.

My heart leapt in excitement to see him.

A slight whimper escaped the man as he immediately vacated his seat. Marcus slid into it easily and looked up at me over the barrel of my pistol innocently. I lowered the gun, slipping it back into its holster on my thigh, and returned to my own seat.

"Good to see you in one piece," I muttered to him, nudging his leg with my knee.

"You too, kid," Marcus replied. "Especially if you've been threatening to shoot everyone who touches you since I left."

I rolled my eyes as Sam the barman set another shot of whatever it was that I was drinking these days in front of me and a beer for Marcus.

"You keep scaring all my customers away," Sam joked with me.

I shrugged one shoulder.

"Not my fault they're all scum."

"What about this one?" asked Sam, giving Marcus a critical once over.

Marcus glowered at him. He didn't like to be sized up. I batted his arm playfully, smirking.

"He's my brother, the great Marcus Fenix," I told Sam.

Sam immediately brightened, grinning his toothless grin and shaking Marcus's hand.

"Mickey speaks very highly of you, sir," he said. "Your tab's on the house tonight."

Marcus gave me a sideways glance and thanked the man.

"Come here often?" he asked once Sam was out of earshot. "I never pegged you for a drinker."

"Not often enough apparently if these assholes can't get it through their head to leave me the hell alone," I grumbled.

Marcus let out a low chuckle, shaking his head and taking a swig of his beer. Just like that it was as if he and I had never been separated. Despite a fifteen year age difference, Marcus has been the protective but loving big brother, keeping an eye out for me when he was around. He went into Basic Training for the COG army when he was eighteen, immediately being shipped out to fight in the Pendulum Wars after graduation. It was always a treat when I got to see him and only made my attachment to him stronger.

"What have you been up to in the last five years?" asked Marcus.

I opened my mouth to respond, with what, I don't know because telling him that I'd joined the military was probably the last thing he wanted to hear, but never even got the chance to make a sound. A blonde man waltzed up to us, setting a hand on Marcus's shoulder.

"Hoffman wants to see us," he muttered.

Marcus gave a low growl but took one last swig of his beer and stood.

"I'll be around, kid," he said to me, musing my hair just a bit. "Good to see you."

"You too, Marcus," I replied, smirking even more. "And I'm not a kid anymore."

Marcus took a second to really look at me, looking slightly surprised at what he saw. I had been a mere fifteen years old when I had watched him get carted off to prison. I had grown a lot since then.

"No," he muttered. "I guess you're not. When'd that happen?"

We shared a quick laugh and Marcus was following his comrade out. I toyed with my still full shot glass for a moment before I heard my name.

"Mikaela Fenix?"

My head shot up in the direction of Marcus and his blonde friend. They hadn't left yet and judging by the look on Marcus's face, something wasn't right.

"Hoffman wants Epsilon, too," said the blonde.

Hiding my grimace with a roll of my eyes I tossed down my shot and waved to Sam. So that would be why Marcus was glaring so hard at me.

We walked in silence to the Control Tower, Marcus too proud to express anger in front of his comrade and me too frightened to mention anything. Marcus's friend could sense the tension between Marcus and me, preferring to walk a good twenty paces in front of us.

The rest of both of our squads were standing before General Hoffman when the three of us arrived. I took my place in the middle of Epsilon Squad 6 while Marcus stood beside another sight for sore eyes, his best friend Dominic Santiago. Marcus and Dom used to babysit me together.

Dom gave me a funny look, clearly confused by my presence, but turned his attention back to Hoffman as he began to speak.

Jerk.

Hoffman, not Dom.

"It has come to our attention that the lightmass bomb was not enough to kill off all of the Locusts," said Hoffman, getting down to business right away as usual. "I need both squads out picking up Stranded in unsafe places and bring them back here. There are a few scientists among these groups that have intelligence on the biology of the Locusts. We need them here to start work on a new weapon. Dismissed."

The dismissal was so abrupt that it took each squad a moment to process the information and actually move. I was willing to wager whatever little bit that I was getting paid (was I even paid to be a soldier?) that Hoffman had only called us all together to tell us something he could have easily mentioned over tac-com to show Marcus what I had done in the time he was gone. He knew Marcus would be angry and I'm sure he was hoping it was enough to get Marcus to force me out of the military.

Boy was I wrong.

"Fenix," Hoffman snapped out as we all moved to leave.

Both Marcus and I spun around, slightly unused to having the other around and unaware of who he meant to speak with.

"Mikaela," barked Hoffman, waving me over.

I tried not to let my apprehension show as I took a step closer to the general. We butted heads too much for this to be productive.

In my eyes at least.

Hoffman looked very seriously at me for a long moment before finally saying the last thing I ever thought I'd hear directed at me.

"Be careful, soldier," he said. "I'm starting you off easy."

He spun on his heel and strode away from me, leaving me to try and figure out if he was just trying to unnerve me or if he honestly wanted me to be careful.

Maybe he wasn't that bad of a guy.

"Thanks, General," I replied just loud enough for him to hear me. He paused for just a fraction of a second at my nearly formal (and appropriate, which was a first) address of him, but continued on in whatever he was going to do.

Marcus set a hand on my shoulder and led me out into the hall, immediately steering me away from our squad members.

"What the hell are you doing as a COG?" he demanded in a low voice.

I gave a sarcastic grin.

"Like I could let you have all of the fun."

"Fun?" asked Marcus, struggling to keep his tone even. "Is that what you think I've been doing all my life?"

"Figure of speech," I reminded him slowly, dropping my grin and leveling glares with him. "What else did you expect me to do? You were in jail and Mom and Dad were dead. I wasn't about to sit on my ass in control listening to Gears die while I couldn't do a damn thing about it."

Marcus was silent for a moment, sizing me up for the second time that day. This time he saw what he'd looked past earlier. He saw the COG tags dangling around my neck, the muscle all around my body, the pistol at my hip. I could tell that I was still the little fifteen-year-old in his eyes, crying as he was led away in handcuffs.

"You're coming with us," he commanded.

I tilted my head back and laughed.

"No offense, Marcus," I said, "but I think I'd learn better without you around. You'd be too careful with me. These guys throw me around."

Marcus obviously hadn't expected me to immediately refute his idea. He was stunned into a short silence.

"You'd better be careful, rook," he muttered gruffly, stalking away from me to his squad.

Ouch. The "rook" comment stung a little coming from the brother who only ever called me "kid", but I merely brushed it off as his anger talking. He would get over it once he saw I was capable of handling myself in the field.

"What was that about?" asked Corporal Matt Sanders as I joined them, frowning.

I gave a short shrug and didn't answer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter! Woo!! Excited, aren't ya?**

**In which we find our dear Mikaela's weakness and strength.**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG*

We were geared up and ready to go within two hours, hopping on two separate Raven helicopters. Somehow, with my miraculous bit of luck, I ended up on the Raven with Delta Squad. Marcus wouldn't even look at me, but I ignored him just as well and focused on the task at hand, loading up my Lancer rifle. I wasn't as good with a Lancer as I was with the Longshot sniper rifle I had attached to my back and therefore was just a bit apprehensive about this mission.

It was my first, after all.

"You're gonna make it jam."

I glanced up at Dom as he knelt down next to me.

"Nervous?" he asked, grinning.

"Just a little," I answered from behind my helmet. "I was the best sniper in my class, but I'm no good with a Lancer."

"I can see that," Dom chuckled, taking the rifle from me and showing me step by step just how to load and cock it.

"Thanks," I muttered, hoping I would be able to remember everything he had just showed me.

"What good are you if you can't use a Lancer?" growled Marcus from our left.

I shot him a glare that he couldn't see.

"She'll be fine," Dom replied, standing up for me like he always did. "We'll just keep an eye on her."

Marcus grumbled something about distractions and turned away.

"Don't worry about him," Dom said to me. "He's just pissed that he has to worry about you getting yourself killed."

"I'm not totally useless," I answered ruefully, lowering my eyes to the floor of the chopper.

"Buck up, babe," said Dom lightly smacking the side of my helmet. "You'll be all right. Just stick close."

I had just been reunited with my brother after five years and he won't even talk to me and Dom wanted me to "buck up?"

I let a small sigh escape and watched the ground race by in silence for the rest of the ride, pointedly ignoring Marcus's snide remarks.

"_LZ in sight,"_ came the pilot's voice over the comm.-link in my ear, "_ETA thirty second_s."

"Get a hold of something," Marcus growled my way.

I climbed to my feet and took a hold of the side of the chopper as far away from my brother as I could get. The landing was a little rough and I immediately returned to my squad.

"All right!" Matt was shouting over the roar of the Ravens. "We need to get as many people to these Ravens as possible. Secure the perimeter. Mick, get to a high spot and put those sniper skills to use. Radio if there's anything coming our way." I nodded and immediately parted in search of a tower or tree or something high.

About fifty feet to the right was a three story building with perfectly placed windows. If I got to the third story, I would have a great view of the entire encampment.

"Where do you think you're going?" Marcus shouted as I made my way towards the dilapidated building. I ignored him and kicked open the front door. Keeping my Lancer high and trying not to panic, I took my first step inside.

So far so good. Almost the entire lobby was caved in but nothing was moving.

Flooded with adrenaline, I climbed up the first flight of stairs. When nothing of threat met me, I got cocky and lowered my rifle. I flitted up the last flight of stairs and nearly fell back down them as a ticker gurgled out of nowhere and scurried towards me. A few lucky bullets forced the creature to blow up, unfortunately taking my entrance to the third floor with it. I flew backward, rolling down to the bottom landing and covering my head as debris dropped down from above.

"_Mick!"_ Matt's voice rang in my ear. _"What was that? You okay?"_

Chancing to lift my head, I saw the entire stairwell was crumbled down, but no tickers were in sight.

"I'm okay," I replied. "Just a ticker. Blew my chance to get up to the third floor though. I can make do with second."

"_You're going to have to,"_ said Matt. _"Keep me posted and please try not to blow anything else up."_

Great way to show Marcus I was capable.

I growled lightly to myself, trying to shake off the sudden loss of adrenaline and bring my head back to focus. I set up my Longshot on the middle-most window I could get to and gazed into the sight for added clarity.

I swept right first, towards the front of the Stranded camp. I dwelt on each major hiding spot I could see, waiting for an inch of movement.

There!

I focused on the movement and took my first shot. An eagle dropped from the tree.

Damn it.

"Sorry," I hissed into my communicator. "Eagle. False alarm."

"_Jesus, rookie,"_ one of Marcus's comrades, Damon Baird, snapped. _"You scared the piss out of these guys."_

"Sorry," I said again.

"_Just relax Mickey,"_ said one of my own, Private First Class Everett Roe. _"Be sure of what you're shooting at first."_

With a deep breath, I returned to my scope. I swept the right again and then turned my attention to the back of the camp.

Now there was some real movement.

"_Stranded are all loaded into the Ravens,"_ said Baird.

"Good thing too," I answered. "Area's hot to the back of the camp. I'm counting forty."

"_Sure they aren't eagles?"_ joked Tristan Nichols.

"Keep joking, Trist," I answered, "and I'm sure you'll be the first to go."

"_Sure. At least I aim straight."_

"_Shut up!"_ Marcus gruffly cut in. _"How far out?"_

It took me half of a second to realize the question was directed to me and the rest of that second to answer.

"I'd say about forty yards," I replied. "Get those people out of here."

"_Start taking them out,"_ said Matt. _"We'll finish loading up the Ravens, but they'll have to come back for us."_

I could deal with that. I leveled my rifle on my shoulder and peered down the scope carefully. Forty Locusts were only yards away from attacking a ton of innocent people. For Locusts they were moving awfully fast.

"I think they're souped up on something," I said over the tac-com. "They're moving really fast."

"_Don't panic,"_ Everett reminded me.

I took a breath to steady the rifle and waited for the first head to enter my view.

BLAM!

The Locust's head popped open like an egg. The ensuing blood made me gag slightly.

Adrenaline roaring to life back in my veins, I took another shot.

BLAM!

Another Locust went down. The rest focused on racing towards the back entrance of the encampment.

"Get the Ravens out!" I shouted into the radio. "They're trying to breach the doors!"

"_They can't stabilize,"_ said Tristan's younger brother, Riley. _"Too many people."_

I cursed loudly.

"_Get as many as you can lift on!"_ shouted Marcus.

"The rest can take cover in the hotel," I said. "It's easy to defend. Get them up to the second story."

"_Sounds like a plan! Woo! Let's go baby!"_

Augustus Cole was too excited to see action.

I fired off another three shots into the mass of Locusts, dropping each to the ground and slowly desensitizing myself to the sight of their exploding heads. The squads worked hard to defend the door and move the innocent people around. I barely glanced backwards when the first few trickled up to my position. The Stranded were easy to tell; crying and clinging to each other in fear.

I only had time for one more shot before the Locusts broke through the back door, tumbling over each other in their haste to take cover. Lancers opened fire on each other and the Ravens were able to take off to the relative safety of the air.

Everett and Tristan joined us on the second floor of the hotel, each taking a position beside me with their Lancers. From the bird's eye view they were able to take out a group of Locusts quicker. I stuck to my Longshot, sniping down another three and reloading.

"You're better off with the Lancer," Tristan advised.

"Have you seen me use one?" I replied, grinning in spite of myself. I was getting more comfortable as the fight raged on; more confident. "You're safer if I use this."

Everett laughed on my other side, opting to move from the window and watch the stairwell.

"_RILEY!"_


	3. Chapter 3

**Couldn't leave off with real information, could I? Where's the fun in that?**

**Here's the darling third chapter, in which there is a teddy bear, Marcus loses his cool for a moment, and they all move on.**

**Don't worry, folks. It's pretty much all action packed from here on out.**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG*

"_RILEY!"_

Everett raced back to the window and the three of us carefully peered over. Riley was down just below his brother, blood flowing freely from his left leg.

"Riles, you all right?" Tristan demanded. I could see the worry line his face, but he held in the panic.

"_Leg hurts but I'll live,"_ was the answer we all heard. There was a collective sigh of relief.

"Stay down," Tristan advised. "I'll cover you."

I could see Riley disregard his brother's orders as he whipped out his pistol and began to shoot around the short wall he sat behind. Tristan's smirk caught my eye.

Damn they were sure lucky to have each other.

"_God damn! Just die!"_ Dom was screaming.

I sniped down Locust after Locust, my bullets never missing their mark, until the Ravens returned for the rest of us. By then only about ten Locusts were still alive.

"_Mickey, Ev, and Trist, get the rest of the Stranded out to the field,"_ ordered Matt. _"Get them on the Ravens. We'll give you cover."_

"Got it," Tristan replied.

The three of us converged in the middle of the room where I got my first look at a Stranded. They were a scrappy bunch, dirty and ragged from the hardships of the land. They were clinging to one another in fear and crying, mingling sweat and dirt on their faces.

"Mick, you and Ev take the front," said Tristan. "I'll get the rear."

"Yeah you will," Everett tossed in, causing Tristan and I to glare at him exasperatedly.

"Sexual jokes aside," Tristan hissed. He faced the Stranded. "Everyone up! The 'copters are back and ready to take you all out of here. We just have to get you to them."

The fear was evident in the group, but their determination to live was even greater. We had no trouble herding them to the first floor until one little girl started screaming and crying about a teddy bear she had left upstairs.

"It'll be okay, sweetie," her mom tried to console her. "We'll get you another one in Jacinto—"

The soothing words did nothing to calm the girl as she started to thrash about. I sighed.

"I'll head back up and look around for it," I said.

"We'll wait," Everett replied and I made a dash for the stairs.

"_We haven't got all day,"_ Marcus growled into my ear.

"_Some kid won't move unless she has her damn bear,"_ Tristan hissed back. _"She's throwing a fit so Mickey went back to look for it."_

"_GOD DAMN IT EVERETT! I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET HER OUT OF YOUR SIGHT!"_

"For fuck's sake, Marcus," I snapped. "I'm fine. I'm just looking for a fucking teddy bear, which, by the way, is not FUCKING HERE!"

I heard Tristan ask the little girl what the bear looked like, but she only screamed harder for it.

"Shut her up, Trist," I growled. "There's nothing but dust up here."

"_TICKERS!"_ both Tristan and Everett shouted.

"Keep them away from the Stranded!" I ordered. "Fuck this bear."

I headed for the stairs only to be cut off by a grand total of three tickers, each allowing their fuse to burn. Seconds from being blown up, I barrel-rolled to my right, ducking behind desk for extra protection.

Damn.

I peeked over the desk after a minute to see the extent of the damage.

"Shit, the stairs caved in," I growled. "How's the situation down there?"

"_Controlled,"_ replied Everett distantly. _"Tickers are gone."_

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ok. Get the Stranded out to the Ravens. I'll jump out of a window or something."

I could hear the group below me move again as I crawled over to the windows. My ears were still ringing from the explosion.

I glanced over the sill to see my escape options. It was only a second floor drop, so there would be minimal physical damage to my person if I fell right.

"_Mikaela, get out of that building _now_,"_ Marcus shouted into my ear. _"They just loaded up the bottom floor with tickers. They know you're in there."_

A split second decision with that information left me switching from my Longshot to my Lancer in midair and landing, chainsaw first, on top of an unsuspecting Locust. Blood splattered my face and chest as the Locust violently met his end.

Immediately, I rolled over the wall he had been using for cover and made a mad run for the opposite side of the battlefield. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tiny flash of a white-ish color and growled. There was the damn teddy bear, laying right were Riley had been only moments ago, grinning mockingly at me. I snatched it up as I ran past.

I heard the first ticker go off inside the building, making me jump in surprise. The whole building shuddered to my left, threatening to fall on me and flatten me to death. I put on a burst of speed and hit the edge of a Raven just as it was lifting off the ground. Marcus and Everett heaved me up and I watched from the air as the entire building collapsed on itself.

"Good shooting, Mick," Matt complimented quietly as he cleaned Riley's leg.

"Damn I wish I could snipe like you!" Riley said excitedly, hissing in pain as he moved but he didn't let that stop him. "You didn't miss a thing! A damn rookie and she's the best sniper I've ever seen!"

I blushed behind my helmet, thankful for its mask. I couldn't handle them ragging on me for blushing at the moment.

The landing in Jacinto was much smoother now that I was ready for it, supporting Riley from the back with one arm as he leaned on Matt and Tristan and holding myself steady with the other. I was quick to find the damn little girl that almost got me killed looking for her teddy bear and relieved myself of that small burden.

Marcus set a huge hand on my armored shoulder.

"You really are damn good with a sniper rifle," he admitted quietly. His light eyes searched my body for any sign of injuries.

"Thanks," I replied, yanking off my helmet and giving my brother a slight smile to let him know I was okay.

We sure were an odd set. Just like that, he wasn't mad at me anymore.

"Another round?" asked Matt as he walked up to us. "The Ravens are refueling and we're heading out again. We have three more stops today."

Marcus nodded and Matt turned to me.

"Grab some bullets for that Longshot while we're here. This place is supposed to be a sniper's dream. Tons of places to hide."

"Dream or nightmare?" I asked wryly. Matt chuckled and walked away to check on Riley.

We all reloaded on ammo and hopped on the next Raven out, hoping for a less eventful evacuation than the last. Riley was miserable about staying behind.

The second and third evacs went smoothly with no bullets flying, much to Cole's chagrin. The last was much more to Cole's liking. We were out in Aspho Fields, gathering up stragglers and putting them on the second wave of Ravens when Boomers stomped into our clearing.


	4. Chapter 4

**BOOM!**

**That's all I'm sayin'.**

**Happy reading!**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG*

The second and third evacs went smoothly with no bullets flying, much to Cole's chagrin. The last was much more to Cole's liking. We were out in Aspho Fields, gathering up stragglers and putting them on the second wave of Ravens when Boomers stomped into our clearing.

"_GO!"_ Marcus shouted to the pilots. _"We'll hold them off! Kid, can you get a clear shot?"_

I peered down the scope of my Longshot, trying to find a shot that wouldn't hit either of the Raven's main rotors.

"Not without taking down a Raven," I replied. "Get them airborne. Keep them out of range—"

"_Working on it."_

There were more people at this stop than any of the previous ones, which meant it was going to take at least one more trip for the Ravens to get them all, unless the pilots were willing to try and take the extra weight.

"Tell them to comp for the weight," I said. "I can't risk a shot until they get the hell out of my way."

"BOOM!"

A Boomer rocketed off a shot at the first Raven, blowing it and its passengers to tiny pieces. My heart stopped. Tristan had been trying to secure people on that helicopter.

"MATT! WHERE'S TRISTAN?" I screamed into my comm.-link.

I took Matt's silence to say that Tristan wouldn't be coming home with us that night. My blood ran hot with anger and I took my first shot at the freed up Boomer. In my fury, I missed, for the first time in my life, and shot it in the arm instead.

It wasn't nearly as bloody.

And I gave away my position. Damn it.

The injured Boomer turned to face the roof of the building I was squatting in and let another shot fly at my window. I ducked down immediately, careful to not lean against the wall in case it toppled over.

It held.

I popped up for another shot, slicing through the forehead of the Boomer this time. The second Raven was getting airborne when the remaining Boomer destroyed that one too. Bits of dust and debris slammed into my helmet.

"_Fall back into the building!"_ Marcus ordered.

"BOOM!"

Lambent wretches and Locusts flooded into the clearing as the Boomer took another shot at the building. I sunk a bullet into its head, glad to be free of those awful creatures. I took half of a second to glance down and count the COGs running for cover. Seven of the original eight were accounted for, Tristan already being lost.

A wretch leapt into the air at the rear of the squad and attached itself to Matt's back. Both fell, slamming to the ground. I watched in horror as Matt flailed, trying to rid himself of the creature on top of him. He screamed in pain as the wretch took a bite out of his shoulder.

I ripped my trusty pistol from its holster and took a shot at the wretch. It shrieked and rolled away, exploding barely two feet from Matt's motionless body. I made to run down to him, but ran into Marcus and the others on the stairs.

"You need to shoot," he commanded, dragging me by the shoulders back to the window. He turned to speak into his tac-com, pressing two fingers in his ear. "Control, this is Delta. Ravens were KIA. We're down two and could use a lift out of here."

"Roger that, Delta. Raven ASAP. Hang in there, Marcus."

Tears blurred my vision just a little as I unloaded a full magazine into the mess below.

"FRAG OUT!" Baird yelled to my left. Six heads ducked below the window sill, waiting to hear the "boom" of the explosion.

The building shook dangerously beneath our feet.

I made my first unsupervised attempt to reload my Lancer and failed miserably, jamming the magazine in wrong. In desperation, I tossed down the useless rifle and pulled out my Longshot.

"DAMN IT! REAVERS!" Everett shouted.

As promised, two squid-like creatures dropped out of the sky and their riders opened fire with cannons. I took out the driver of the first easily, watching the rest of the reaver self-destruct. It splattered the walls around us with its inky blood.

Cole shot down the driver of the second reaver, whooping in celebration.

Even with the reavers gone, I couldn't see anything for Cole to be happy about. We were pretty much surrounded by Locusts shooting at us with no available escape even once the Raven arrived. We were screwed.

I started to breathe in short bursts, making myself dizzy with the lack of oxygen. I was panicking, something I was told never to do in a situation like this, but I couldn't help it. Two of my squad members had just been killed right in front of me and there was no way we were going to be able to survive this.

No way.

So, yeah, I was freaking out just a little.

Everett made his way to my side and nudged my shoulder gently.

"Chill," he whispered loud enough to hear of the gunfire. "We'll be fine."

He picked up my Lancer and fixed the jam in a blink of an eye and handed it back to me.

"Just relax and take deep breaths."

I gave a feeble nod and returned my Longshot to its place on my back. Relax? Was that possible?

I peeked back over to see the damage the rest of the squad had inflicted during my mini-panic attack. The Locusts had been thinned out quite a bit, but three Maulers had shown up. Cole and Baird were working on taking one down while Marcus was tossing a grenade into the chaos. I shouldered my Lancer again and began to let a torrent of bullets fly at another Mauler's feet, the only visible part beneath its shield.

He went down hard.

The third ran right into Marcus's grenade and just like that, all three Maulers were dead.

Maybe we could do this.

I took my time reloading my Lancer and managed to do it properly, for the first time since Basic.

"Good," Everett whispered encouragement to me as he unloaded another clip into masses.

We were steadily holding our position when we heard the distinct roar of a Raven heading our way. Cole started shouting more and Baird threw a celebratory frag out the window.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Dom hollered.

We took our time getting to the Raven, keeping behind as much cover as possible. Everett had to drag me past Matt's dead body as Marcus ripped off his COG tags.

"BAIRD!"

Cole's cry caught us off guard as the three of us froze and spun around. Six Locusts had a strong hold on a struggling Baird and were dragging him backwards.

"Jesus," Marcus hissed as we watched in horror. The Locusts were ripping at Baird's armor as they pulled him, stripping him of his weapons almost immediately.

Cole and Dom were the first to react, shooting down a Locust each, but the Locusts kept Baird's body in front of them as a block, deterring us from aiming at them.

"FLANK 'EM!" screamed Marcus. "MICK AND EV, GO RIGHT. I'LL GO LEFT. DOM, COLE, KEEP SHOOTING!"

Everett and I set at a dead run through the first floor of the building we had just come out of. We made to sneak around to take them off guard.

But four Locusts sat waiting for us at the end of the floor.

Everett cursed loudly, instantly opening fire. I slipped behind a nearby column, taking aim from my cover.

"_Mickey, watch behind you,"_ came Dom's voice.

I gave a cursory glance over my shoulder.

"There's nothing, Dom."

"_Keep an eye out,"_ he replied. _"Two just got in."_

Shit.

Everett and I shared a quick glance of fear. He kept a steady reign of fire on the Locusts in front while I covered our backs.

"These things cannot be this smart!" I complained to Everett as I caught sight of the two Dom was talking about.

Everett gave a laugh behind me, cut short by a cry of pain. I spun around to face him.

"Ev!"


	5. Chapter 5

"**Can't we all just get along?" cries Mikaela.**

**No.**

**Where would the fun be in that?**

**Mikaela and Baird start to bond a little in this chapter. Odd, right?**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG*

"Ev!"

"I'm fine. Just got my arm," he answered, waving me off. His left arm was bleeding profusely. "Grazed it really. I'll be fine. Keep an eye-SHIT!"

The wound had distracted me from the two Locusts that had snuck in behind us. Suddenly they were right on top of us, seizing the back of my armor and hoisting me away from Everett and above its head. It hurled me through the air, ripping my Longshot and shotgun from my back as we went. My Lancer fell from my hands as I landed in the middle of the quickly multiplying opposition. The Drones leered greedily at me.

"_Dom, I could use some help in here!"_ Everett shouted into his radio as he shot down the two newcomers. _"They got Mikaela."_

I heard a chorus of curses in different voices as I yanked out my Boltok pistol. I prayed the few shots that I still had in it were enough to help me get out of impending doom.

God did I wish I had reloaded it when I had the chance.

Of course, as luck would have it, my aim was off due to my body shaking with terror. I only managed to kill off two Drones before I was hoisted up again and relieved of my remaining weapons.

I felt a pair of hands leave my person and assumed that Everett had made short work of one of my captures. This only fueled the Locusts desire to race out of the building. I kicked and punched as hard as I could, but was kept high up until my heavy fist connected with the crown of a head. The Locust crumpled beneath me, leaving my weight on his unsuspecting comrade. He toppled over with the excess weight and I hit the ground running.

Not fast enough, apparently.

The second Locust grabbed a friend and both hauled me back towards them, shielding themselves with my body against COG fire. It took another three to hold me down enough to shove me down a hole, screaming as I went.

I could still hear Marcus shouting for me as we descended into darkness. I kept struggling against the Locusts hold.

I wasn't going down without a fight.

One reached for my helmet, but I would not let him get a good enough grip on it to take it off.

"Hold him," he snarled to his companions.

Him?

"For your information, stinky," I ground out, putting even more force into my flailing, "I'm a woman. A very _pissed off_ woman!"

I managed to get one leg free, using my momentum to slam my heavy heel into the temple of the Drone holding my other foot. He fell without a fight. I tried to yank my arms free and almost pulled them out of their sockets in the process. The drone at my head pulled out a Lancer, my Lancer, and I said a brief goodbye to the world.

At least I fought my hardest.

The chainsaw roared to life and came down against my chest. I could feel it burrowing through my armor and dreaded the feeling it would make against my skin.

It hit my stomach first, blinding me with pain. I couldn't hold in the shriek.

"Remove the helmet," commanded the Drone. "I want to see the pain."

Why was I still awake? If I passed out, it would be easier for them to kill me. I wouldn't feel much pain.

The cool cavern air hit my sweating forehead, bringing me to the annoying realization that I was now fully vulnerable. The chainsaw came down on my midsection again, but not before I got a good kick into the wielding Drone. He stumbled back. Enraged, he slammed the butt of his Lancer to my temple and my entire body went limp.

Waking up hurt even worse than blacking out. It forced me to realize that I had not, in fact, died and freed myself from pain. Instead I was stuck inside a jagged, stone cell with hardly any light.

I groaned as I rolled over, immediately missing the presence of my armor. My already bruised arms rubbed against the gravel beneath me.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakes."

I turned my bleary eyes in the direction of the voice to see the naked and bloody torso of Baird glowering back at me from his position against the far wall.

"How long was I out?" I asked, my voice raspy.

"Long enough," came my cryptic answer.

"Where the hell are we?"

"Underground," Baird grunted back. He was attempting to tie a makeshift bandaged around a laceration on his arm.

"Thanks, genius," I snapped, rolling my eyes and pushing myself up to a sitting position. Pain ripped through my midsection.

"Keep still," said Baird harshly. "I did what I could to stop the bleeding, but I'm no miracle worker. I can't have you bleed out on me."

I gave a short laugh, imagining Marcus finding my corpse and murdering Baird on sight for letting me die. Then I shuddered. I didn't like to imagine myself dead.

I pushed loose strands of my auburn hair from my eyes and sighed.

"Come here," I muttered. Baird was still struggling to tie the scrap of fabric.

Wincing, Baird slinked over and dropped down beside me. Once he got closer I could see the extent of his injuries. He was sliced up like bacon, a laceration on just about every square inch of his torso and a handful all down his tattooed arms.

"Jesus," I hissed, looking him over.

"I put up a good fight," he replied with a bit of pride, attempting to smirk. He grimaced again instead.

"I can see that," I said. "We need to get you out of here. You're going to lose too much blood."

"I'm fine."

"Baird—"

"I'm fine," he ground out, narrowing his eyes at me. He wasn't going to admit to the weakness of pain. "Just tie the damn thing, will ya?"

I did as he asked, tying the fabric, which I now assumed to be remnants of his undershirt, around his forearm just tight enough. He sat back and gave me a critical once over.

"What's a kid like you doing in the army?" he asked at length.

I snorted, leaning up against the wall next to him.

"Didn't have much else going for me after Marcus was carted off to jail," I answered truthfully.

"There had to be better things to do with your time," Baird reasoned.

"Like what?" I asked. "Be a scientist like my dad? Write a book like my mom? Sorry, I don't play nice like that."

"So you joined the COGs," he said flatly.

"And ended up locked in a cave," I replied humorlessly.

Baird fell silent at that, gazing around our dingy new home.

It felt to me as if we had been stuck in that cave for days, waiting for some salvation from death or rescue. The Locusts had taken a special interest in Baird, dragging him away to some sick torture session at every opportunity, leaving me to myself in the corner of the room. Sometimes I would cry in silence, praying that when they brought him back, Baird would be just as snippy and feisty as he was when they took him.

Most of the time he was barely conscious.

From what little I could remember of my basic medical training, I knew I had to keep Baird awake until I could get the bleeding to stop and get a bit of color back into his face. During those times he told me stories of his childhood. His father raised him and his older sister after their mother walked out on them when he was six. It was his father who forced Baird into military service, much against his son's wishes. Baird greatly resented him for it.

"What about you?" he asked weakly once he had no more to tell.

I shrugged, briefly wishing they would take me for once and let him rest.


	6. Chapter 6

**This one's a little short. Sorry about that, but I feel that I don't get the full effect of my favorite thing; cliffhanger!**

**Anyway, chapter six. In which we get a bit of back story on Mickey. Poor girl.**

**Happy trails!**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG*

"What about you?" he asked weakly once he had no more to tell.

I shrugged, briefly wishing they would take me for once and let him rest.

"Dad was a scientist and Mom was an author," I said. "Not much excitement there. My mom never paid my attention to Marcus or me. Too deep in her stories. And my dad was always busy with research. Marcus pretty much took care of me until he left for the army. I guess he figured I was old enough to fend for myself."

Baird took in a sharp breath as I wiped away a bit of blood around a fresh wound.

"Sorry," I whispered. "Anyway, I spent a lot of time with Dom's wife, Maria, and their kids for the next two years, 'till E-Day. 'Till they all died."

I fell silent for a second, concentrating on cleaning Baird up to block out the pain of the memories I had just unlocked after so long.

"Sorry," Baird murmured, sensing my pain.

I took a deep breath and brushed off his apology.

"After that, I was pretty much on my own. A six-year-old trying to figure out where to go. That's when I met Everett."

A small smile graced my lips as I thought of my best friend.

"His mom took it upon herself to make sure I was treated like one of her own. Ev and I grew up together. Broke my heart when he enlisted. I knew Marcus would murder me if he found out, but he was already in jail. So I went too. Ev was my brother. We never did anything without the other. Delilah was sick with Rustlung by then. There wasn't much we could do for her, so she sent us both off."

"Jesus," Baird commented. "You're just a kid."

I shrugged shortly again, trying to hide my emotions the best I could. Tears lined my eyes, but did not fall.

"Took me two years to get through Basic because General Hoffman hated the thought of letting me into the field." I glanced shyly at Baird. "He and I didn't get along well, especially after Marcus's bullshit trial. You know, Dom and I both tried to give character witnesses and the only damn good it did was not get him killed."

"Gotta be thankful for that," said Baird. I couldn't decide if he was being serious or sarcastic.

I didn't get much time to really contemplate it though. Our cell door suddenly ignited in an explosion and groaned as it swung open. Two figures faded in with the smoke.

"Up and at 'em kids. We gotta get this show on the road. I doubt no one heard that grenade."

"Everett!" I couldn't contain the shriek as I leapt up to hug him. Everett grinned and wrapped his free arm around me. My stomach burned against the strain I put on it. Everett's rough armor didn't help matters much, but I didn't care.

We were going to get out of this hell hole.

"That scream alone could get us killed," Baird remarked behind me.

I smirked at him, grabbing a hold of one hand and helping him to his feet. Everett and Dom gaped at the damage done to his body.

"I know, I'm gorgeous," he snapped. "Can we please get out of here? I feel like I'm going to go crazy."

As we ran, Everett in front and Dom covering the rear, I fleetingly wondered if Maria was down here. No one had heard anything of her since Emergence Day. Maybe she was still alive somewhere.

"Marcus, got them both. Baird looks a little worse for wear, but he's dealing," said Everett into his radio. "We'll need to get them topside ASAP…She's fine. A little bloody, but—"

The bullet that sliced through his head cut him off.

"EVERETT!" I screeched, stopping short and causing Baird to run straight into my back. I barely even noticed his hiss of pain as I gawked at Everett's bloody face.

"Jesus!" Dom cried, whipping his head in every direction to try to figure out where the sniper was hiding.

Another bullet flew down, missing Baird by inches.

"All right," he said nervously, "Time to go."

I couldn't bring my feet to move. My best friend of fourteen years was lying dead right in front of me. I was so shocked that I couldn't even cry.

"Come on, Mickey," Dom whispered, slipping Everett's COG tags off and handing them to me. "We can't stay."

"But…"

How could he accept what just happened? Everett was just killed right in front of our eyes.

Baird grabbed a hold of my hand and tugged.

"Come on," he said. "We have to go."

He gave a hard pull and finally unstuck my feet, leaving me to stumble slightly.

"We're going to leave him?" I demanded.

"We have to, Mikaela," Dom muttered, pushing us along. We started running again. "We can't carry him."

"But…"

I tried protesting the whole way, only to be shushed at every given opportunity. I ran beside Dom and Baird in a daze, trying to wrap my head around the loss of my best friend; my brother. My mind would not comprehend it.

Before I knew it, we were breathing in fresh air – well, as fresh as it could get with guns and cannons firing every few seconds – and Marcus was throwing a Lancer in my direction. On pure instinct, I dropped behind cover and began shooting with much more vehemence than usual.

The phrase "Everett is dead" kept replaying in my head until I wanted nothing more than to join him.

I took a chance to glance around at my surroundings. My entire squad was dead. My best friend was gone. And my brother was just shot in the neck.

MARCUS JUST GOT SHOT IN THE NECK!


	7. Chapter 7

**Another kind of short chapter, sorry. But it's almost done. The next (and last. *sniff*) chapter is probably going to be just as short.**

**I apologize profusely, but hope it is worth it in the end.**

**On to chapter seven!**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG*

MARCUS JUST GOT SHOT IN THE NECK!

That woke me from my haze violently. I was horrified as Marcus put a hand to his neck, blood covering his armored fingers. His face was one of pure shock.

Without much thought to my own personal wellbeing, I rocketed out of my hiding spot and slid in front of Marcus.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "Keep shooting!"

I ignored his stubbornness and pulled at the already ripped fabric of my white tank top. I tore off a long strip and, swatting at Marcus's hand, wadded it up against his wound.

"Hold that there." Marcus took a hold of the cloth and pressed it to his neck, hissing in pain. I called over to Dom as I forced Marcus to sit flat, pulling his legs out straight to keep the blood flowing better, "Dom! We need a Raven ASAP. Marcus is hit!"

I didn't wait to watch his reaction to my words as I returned to my brother's profusely bleeding wound.

"Marcus, relax," I said. "I need you to slow your heart rate if you can. You're bleeding way too fast."

"I'm fine," Marcus protested.

"No you're not," I snapped back. "And I'll be damned if I lose another brother to a fucking bullet, okay? So just listen to me for once in your God damned life! Dom, ETA?"

I pulled my eyes away from Marcus's stunned face to look at his friend.

"Two minutes!" he answered.

I cursed.

"He hasn't got two minutes!"

I turned back to Marcus, pressing just a bit harder on his neck to stem the bleeding.

"Please, Marcus," I begged. "Just try to take big breaths and slow down your heart rate. It'll slow the bleeding and give you more time."

Too stunned to anything but actually listen to me, Marcus visibly relaxed, slumping against the stone he was covering behind.

"No sleeping," I reminded him. "Keep talking, just not too much. Keep your eyes on me."

The bleeding was slowing down just a bit, still too much for my liking. Marcus began to pale from the lack of blood.

"I'm sorry, Mickey," he said.

"For what?"

"Everett's gone."

I blinked at him. It wasn't like him to get sappy.

"I don't want to talk about that."

I turned my face away from his.

"That's why I never wanted you to be in the army," he admitted quietly. "You lose too many friends."

He was definitely losing too much blood if he was telling me how he felt.

"Marcus," I sputtered out. This was the last conversation I ever wanted to have. "Please, shut up."

"I never wanted you to get hurt like that," he continued, looking at me very seriously. "You should never have to feel that kind of pain; to see the things you have."

"Marcus, please."

"My poor baby sister. So young. Too young…"

It was so odd to hear him talk like that. It was almost like he thought he was going to die.

"But I'm proud of you, Mikaela."

Yep, he thought he was going to die, all right. He was spilling everything to me.

"And I love you."

I shut my eyes, trying to quell the seemingly ever present tears that threatened to spill. My heart hurt.

"I love you too, Marcus. Stop talking."

He fell silent, staring at the ground beside my feet. He looked like he was feeling a little light-headed, eyes floating in and out of focus.

"Clear," both Cole and Dom confirmed of the area around us.

"Raven en route," Dom continued, watching Marcus in concern. "ETA is about thirty seconds."

I breathed a light sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off my forehead with my shoulder. Marcus's blood caked both of my hands. I almost gagged at the sight.

"What a hell of a first mission," Marcus gurgled out, grinning slightly at me.

I snorted, gazing at him through blurry eyes. I sniffled and voiced my agreement.

"Let's not have another one like it, shall we?" I said.

There were snorts of agreement all around me as our rescue Raven touched down. With Dom's help we dragged Marcus into the cabin and secured ourselves for takeoff.


	8. Chapter 8

**And last but not least, chapter 8!**

**I know I said I was going to take my time uploading this, but I changed my mind.  
**

**I hope you enjoyed this little ditty. It kept me busy for three days writing it. Trust me, the ending is cute. You ladies will enjoy it. =)**

**Thanks for reading!**

*COGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOGCOG*

Marcus and Baird were immediately taken from our sights as soon as we landed in Jacinto, whisked away to the hospital to get sewed up. Marcus had blacked out the second we touched ground, which panicked me a bit, but Baird promised to keep an eye on him. I was dragged off to get medical attention as well, but at a much slower pace with Cole and Dom close behind.

I spent the next two and a half weeks visiting a very disgruntled Baird and waiting around with Dom for Marcus to wake up again. The blood loss and exhaustion took a hard toll on him. I was at the hospital, just finishing up getting my own stitches removed when I got the news.

A nurse gently knocked on the door and let herself in as my doctor cleaned up the still healing wound.

"Mikaela Fenix?" she asked.

"That would be me," I replied, just as sarcastic and snarky as always, something only heightened by my extended exposure to Damon Baird.

"You're brother is awake."

I didn't even bother to wait around for her to tell me which room he was in. I already knew. I flew up the stairs to the recovery wing, right past Baird and into the Intensive Care Unit. Marcus was sitting up in his bed glaring out the window.

"Grumpy as ever, huh?" I asked, suppressing my joy to see him alert again.

"Bored," he grunted back, wincing as a hand shot to his neck.

I took a few quick steps toward his bed and wrapped my arms around him, careful to avoid his injuries and quite obviously taking him off guard. I hardly ever showed this much emotion and physical affection. He hesitantly hugged me back.

"How are you doing?" he asked into my hair.

We were both very reluctant to let go of the other. I wiped at my eyes.

"All right," I admitted. "Surviving as best I can, I guess."

Everett's face flashed in my head.

"I'm sorry, Mickey," he said again, brushing hand against my wet cheek.

"Don't get all sappy on me again, Marcus," I chided, playfully glaring at him. "I'll have to call the doctor back in."

Marcus frowned.

"Just let me say something and I promise I won't do it again," he said. "I meant what I said. I never did want you joining the COGs, but I am really proud of you. You saved my life and probably Baird's too. Thank you."

"What else was I going to do?" I asked shrugging. "Sit around and watch either one of you die?"

Marcus grinned at that.

"Obviously not," he said. "But you did good for a rookie."

My smile dropped.

"Don't call me 'rookie'," I growled, making Marcus burst into laughter. It was gurgled laughter like he had fluid in his lungs, but he was laughing none-the-less.

"Sorry, kid," he said. He immediately sobered and looked at me seriously once more. "You were the reason I kept fighting. Every time things were going to shit around me, I just thought of you—"

"_Marcus_!" I whined, slumping against his broad chest lightly. "I thought you were done with the sap!"

Marcus chuckled evenly, holding me to him.

"Almost, I promise."

I sighed heavily and settled in to listen and try not to cry.

God I was such a baby.

"I'm sorry you had to lose your whole squad," he said quietly. "I'm sorry you lost your best friend. You shouldn't have to deal with that."

"I would have rather watched him die than wait for news about him," I reasoned. "Waiting is torture. At least I knew for sure."

Marcus gently stroked my hair in consolation.

"I should probably try to find Delilah."

Marcus let a sigh blow through his nose.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Quit being sorry for me," I admonished. "I'll survive. Everett would probably come back to haunt me if I sat wallowing anyway."

Marcus snickered.

"He would."

"Stop being squishy, Marcus," I muttered. "You're going to make me cry and you know I hate doing that. I've done too much of it."

Marcus tightened his arms around me briefly.

"All right," he said. "Just one more thing."

I groaned in protest and sat up to give him a sad face to persuade him to stop.

He laughed at me.

"I love you Mikaela. Really."

"I love you too Marcus," I replied, folding myself back into his arms. "Now really, you're done. I can't deal with you being sentimental. It's just not you."

Marcus gave me a short lived smile before the door cracked open again. The rest of Delta Squad piled in to see him, a limping Baird included. Even Lieutenant Anya Stroud, a close friend of Delta, snuck in.

I secretly thought that Marcus and Anya had a thing for each other, but that was just my opinion.

"How are you feeling, man?" asked Dom as I vacated my brother's side so each could give him a hug or handshake or whatever it was that manly men did.

Marcus gave a nonchalant shrug and winced as he moved his neck too much.

While all the attention was focused on him, Damon Baird slipped a kiss on my cheek. Shocked, I turned to face him, but he had already moved forward to greet Marcus.

**-The end-**


End file.
